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Key features

An experienced management team with more than 25 years average industry experience

Fund information

Inception date

12/30/1996

Dividends paid (if any)

Monthly

Capital gains paid (if any)

December

Fund identifiers

NASDAQ

DHOIX

CUSIP

245908843

Institutional Class shares available only available to certain investors. See the prospectus for more information.

The performance quoted represents past performance and does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted.

Total returns may reflect waivers and/or expense reimbursements by the manager and/or distributor for some or all of the periods shown. Performance would have been lower without such waivers and reimbursements.

Portfolio holdings are as of the date noted below and are subject to change at any time. Holdings may not be representative of current or future investments and may not include the entire investment portfolio. Holdings information is made available to the public 30 calendar days after the most recent month-end.

Holdings data is for informational purposes only, and is not intended as a recommendation, offer, or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any specific security. By accessing the portfolio holdings, you agree not to reproduce, distribute or disseminate the portfolio holdings, in whole or part. In no event shall the Delaware Family of Funds or its affiliates have any liability relating to the use of the portfolio holdings.

Unlike the Fund's regulatory filings, the portfolio data and its presentation in this document is not required to conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) presentation requirements. Therefore, it may differ from that provided in the complete portfolio of investments in the annual and semiannual report to shareholders filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR, and the complete portfolio of investments filed in the first and third quarter on Form N-Q.

Portfolio holdings are as of the date noted below and are subject to change at any time. Holdings may not be representative of current or future investments and may not include the entire investment portfolio. Holdings information is made available to the public 30 calendar days after the most recent quarter-end.

Holdings data is for informational purposes only, and is not intended as a recommendation, offer, or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any specific security. By accessing the portfolio holdings, you agree not to reproduce, distribute or disseminate the portfolio holdings, in whole or part. In no event shall the Delaware Family of Funds or its affiliates have any liability relating to the use of the portfolio holdings.

Unlike the Fund's regulatory filings, the portfolio data and its presentation in this document is not required to conform to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) presentation requirements. Therefore, it may differ from that provided in the complete portfolio of investments in the annual and semiannual report to shareholders filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR, and the complete portfolio of investments filed in the first and third quarter on Form N-Q.

Total may not equal 100% due to rounding. The Fund’s investment manager, Delaware Management Company (DMC), a series of Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust, receives “Credit Quality” ratings for the underlying securities held by the Fund from three “nationally recognized statistical rating organizations” (NRSROs): Standard & Poor’s (S&P), Moody’s Investors Service, and Fitch, Inc. The credit quality breakdown is calculated by DMC based on the NRSRO ratings. If two or more NRSROs have assigned a rating to a security the higher rating (lower value) is used. If only one NRSRO rates a security, that rating is used. For securities rated by an NRSRO other than S&P, that rating is converted to the equivalent S&P credit rating. Securities that are unrated by any of the three NRSROs are included in the “not rated” category when applicable. Unrated securities do not necessarily indicate low quality. More information about securities ratings is contained in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

1If a Fund makes a distribution from any source other than net income, it is required to provide shareholders with a notice disclosing the source of such distribution (each a "Notice"). The amounts and sources of distributions reported above and in each Notice are only estimates and are not provided for tax reporting purposes. Each Fund will send each shareholder a Form 1099 DIV for the calendar year that will provide definitive information on how to report the Fund's distributions for federal income tax purposes. The information in the table above will not be updated to reflect any subsequent recharacterization of dividends and distributions. Click here to see recent Notices pertaining to the Fund (if any).

2Information on return of capital distributions (if any) is only provided from June 1, 2014 onward.

3Includes both short- and long-term capital gains.

Institutional Class shares available only available to certain investors. See the prospectus for more information.

Adam H. Brown biography

Adam H. Brown,CFA

Adam H. Brown is a senior portfolio manager and co-head of the firm’s high yield strategies. He manages the bank loan portfolios and is a co-portfolio manager for the high yield, fixed rate multisector, and core plus strategies. Brown joined Macquarie Investment Management (MIM) in April 2011 as part of the firm’s integration of Macquarie Four Corners Capital Management, where he had worked since 2002. At Four Corners, he was a co-portfolio manager on the firm’s collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and a senior research analyst supporting noninvestment grade portfolios. Before that, Brown was with the predecessor of Wells Fargo Securities, where he worked in the leveraged finance group arranging senior secured bank loans and high yield bond financings for financial sponsors and corporate issuers. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Florida and an MBA from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.

John P. McCarthy biography

John P. McCarthy,CFA

John P. McCarthy is a senior portfolio manager and co-head for the firm’s high yield strategies, a role he assumed in July 2016. From December 2012 to June 2016, he was co-head of credit research on the firm’s taxable fixed income team. McCarthy rejoined Macquarie Investment Management (MIM) in March 2007 as a senior research analyst, after he worked in the firm’s fixed income area from 1990 to 2000 as a senior high yield analyst and high yield trader, and from 2001 to 2002 as a municipal bond trader. Prior to rejoining the firm, he was a senior high yield analyst/trader at Chartwell Investment Partners. McCarthy earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Babson College, and he is a member of the CFA Society of Philadelphia.

Craig C. Dembek, CFA

Craig C. Dembek biography

Craig C. Dembek,CFA

Executive Director, Global Head of Credit Research

Craig C. Dembek is global head of credit research and a senior research analyst on the firm’s taxable fixed income team with primary responsibility for banks, brokers, insurance companies, and real estate investment trusts (REITs). He rejoined Macquarie Investment Management (MIM) in March 2007. During his previous time at the firm, from April 1999 to January 2001, he was a senior investment grade credit analyst. Most recently, he spent four years at Chartwell Investment Partners as a senior fixed income analyst and Turner Investment Partners as a senior fixed income analyst and portfolio manager. Dembek also spent two years at Stein, Roe & Farnham as a senior fixed income analyst. Earlier in his career, he worked for two years as a lead bank analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Dembek earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Michigan State University and an MBA with a concentration in finance from the University of Vermont.

Paul A. Matlack biography

Paul A. Matlack,CFA

Paul A. Matlack is a strategist and senior portfolio manager for the firm’s fixed income team. Matlack rejoined the firm in May 2010. During his previous time at Macquarie Investment Management (MIM), which includes the former Delaware Investments, from September 1989 to October 2000, he was senior credit analyst, senior portfolio manager, and left the firm as co-head of the high yield group. Most recently, he worked at Chartwell Investment Partners from September 2003 to April 2010 as senior portfolio manager in fixed income, where he managed core, core plus, and high yield strategies. Prior to that, Matlack held senior roles at Turner Investment Partners, PNC Bank, and Mellon Bank. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA with a concentration in finance from George Washington University.

Institutional Class shares available only available to certain investors. See the prospectus for more information.

1The Fund’s investment manager, Delaware Management Company (Manager), has contractually agreed to waive all or a portion of its investment advisory fees and/or pay/reimburse expenses (excluding any 12b-1 fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, interest, short sale dividend and interest expenses, brokerage fees, certain insurance costs, and nonroutine expenses or costs, including, but not limited to, those relating to reorganizations, litigation, conducting shareholder meetings, and liquidations) in order to prevent total annual fund operating expenses from exceeding 0.69% of the Fund’s average daily net assets from Nov. 28, 2018 through Nov. 28, 2019. These waivers and reimbursements may only be terminated by agreement of the Manager and the Fund.

Overview

US high yield bonds, as measured by the ICE BofAML US High Yield Constrained Index, returned -0.91% for the first quarter, while European and global high yield bonds returned -0.48% and -0.71%, respectively, based on ICE BofAML indices.

The US high yield market returned 0.64% during January as a solid fundamental backdrop provided support for lower-quality/higher-beta names. CCC-rated bonds returned +2.31%, B-rated bonds returned +0.82%, and BB-rated bonds returned +0.11%. The market turned negative in February (-0.82%) as the rapid increase in Treasury yields put pressure on higher-quality duration-sensitive bonds, paving the way for CCC-rated bonds (-0.73%) and B-rated bonds (-0.77%) to once again outpace bonds rated BB (-1.16%) for the month. Prices again declined in March (-0.62%), as falling equity prices reset equity valuation multiples, putting pressure on more highly leveraged credits, while uncertainty surrounding the short-term direction of interest rates continued to weigh on higher-quality credits. In March, BB-rated bonds returned -0.61%, B-rated bonds returned -0.49%, and CCC-rated bonds returned -0.91%.

New issuance totaled $73 billion for the quarter, down 26% from the same period in 2017. Refinancing and general corporate purposes (GCP) represented 86% of issuance, with just 12% slated for leveraged buyout (LBO) and merger and acquisition activity. The US high yield default rate currently stands at 2.21%, with an expected 2018 default rate of 2.5%.

Sources: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Bloomberg, and J.P. Morgan.

Within the Fund

The Fund’s strongest sector contributors were software services, cable/satellite TV, and automotive. In software services, the Fund outperformed the benchmark due to strong credit selection and an overweight to the sector. Outperformance from the cable/satellite TV sector came from strong credit selection and an underweight versus the benchmark. The Fund’s underweight to the higher-quality, long-duration automotive sector — combined with strong credit selection — resulted in outperformance for the quarter.

The Fund’s largest detractors for the quarter were chemicals, energy exploration and production (E&P), and support services. Chemicals and support services were both hurt by overweights to higher-quality, longer-duration securities. E&P underperformance came from an overweight to the sector combined with poor credit selection, primarily in credits exposed to declining gas prices.

Outlook

Although fundamentals remain supportive, we believe valuations within the high yield market combined with central bank tightening warrant a cautious approach to constructing our portfolios. We expect both equity markets and interest rates to remain volatile in 2018, weighing on high yield returns.

We do believe the current credit cycle will continue through 2018. Corporate leverage profiles remain stable, tax reform is likely to bolster growth and reinvestment, refinancings remain the lion’s share of new-issue proceeds, and the default rate remains low. As such, we believe the backdrop for 2018 high yield returns remains positive.

Our biggest challenge for the year, in our view, will be properly balancing risk and duration in the portfolios. Inflation and interest rate outlooks will likely remain moving targets throughout the year, creating volatility within higher-quality ratings segments, while fundamentals remain supportive of lower-quality ratings segments.

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

The ICE BofAML US High Yield Constrained Index (formerly known as the BofA Merrill Lynch US High Yield Constrained Index) tracks the performance of US dollar–denominated high yield corporate debt publicly issued in the US domestic market, but caps individual issuer exposure at 2% of the benchmark.

Index performance returns do not reflect management fees, transaction costs, or expenses. Indices are unmanaged, and one cannot invest directly in an index.

[469871] 04/18

The views expressed represent the Manager’s assessment of the Fund and market environment as of the date indicated, and should not be considered a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security, and should not be relied on as research or investment advice. Information is as of the date indicated and subject to change.

Document must be used in its entirety.

Carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risk factors, charges, and expenses before investing. This and other information can be found in the Fund’s prospectus and its summary prospectus, which may be obtained by clicking the prospectus link located in the right-hand sidebar or calling 800 523-1918. Investors should read the prospectus and the summary prospectus carefully before investing.

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.

Fixed income securities and bond funds can lose value, and investors can lose principal, as interest rates rise. They also may be affected by economic conditions that hinder an issuer’s ability to make interest and principal payments on its debt.

The Fund may also be subject to prepayment risk, the risk that the principal of a bond that is held by a portfolio will be prepaid prior to maturity, at the time when interest rates are lower than what the bond was paying. A portfolio may then have to reinvest that money at a lower interest rate.

The high yield secondary market is particularly susceptible to liquidity problems when institutional investors, such as mutual funds and certain other financial institutions, temporarily stop buying bonds for regulatory, financial, or other reasons. In addition, a less liquid secondary market makes it more difficult for the Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.

The Fund may invest in derivatives, which may involve additional expenses and are subject to risk, including the risk that an underlying security or securities index moves in the opposite direction from what the portfolio manager anticipated. A derivatives transaction depends upon the counterparties’ ability to fulfill their contractual obligations.

International investments entail risks not ordinarily associated with US investments including fluctuation in currency values, differences in accounting principles, or economic or political instability in other nations.

Investing in emerging markets can be riskier than investing in established foreign markets due to increased volatility and lower trading volume.

All third-party marks cited are the property of their respective owners.

Institutional Class shares (as of 01/31/2019)

Morningstar disclosure

Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Morningstar proprietary ratings reflect historical risk-adjusted performance as of 01/31/2019. For each fund with at least a three-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar RatingTM based on a Morningstar Risk-adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance (including the effects of sales charges, loads, and redemption fees), placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance.

The top 10% of funds in each category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. (Each share class is counted as a fraction of one fund within this scale and rated separately, which may cause slight variations in the distribution percentages.) The Overall Morningstar Rating for a fund is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and ten-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods.

Morningstar disclosure

Morningstar fund data for all time periods shown are as of the above indicated. Although a Fund may outperform peers when compared to its Morningstar peer group, the returns for that period may still be negative. Rankings shown are provided by Morningstar. Rankings and performance for other time periods are available from Morningstar.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

The Fund offers other share classes, and their performance and rankings may be lower than those of the class shown.

Morningstar rankings reflect a fund's historical total return performance, excluding sales charges as applicable, relative to peers as of the above date. The ratings are subject to change every month and are based on equal-rated average of percentile ranks for the total return metrics over 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods, if applicable. Morningstar rankings are not intended to predict future results, and Morningstar does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Expense waivers may have been in effect for some or all of the periods shown. Performance would have been lower if waivers did not apply or if sales charges were included. Morningstar rankings may have been lower if waivers did not apply or if sales charges were included.

Lipper disclosure

Lipper fund data for all time periods shown are as of the date shown. Although a Fund may outperform peers when compared to Lipper peer groups, the returns for that period may still be negative. Rankings shown are provided by Lipper, Inc., a leading independent analysis service. Rankings and performance for other time periods are available from Lipper.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

The Fund offers other share classes, and their performance and rankings may be lower than those of the class shown.

Lipper rankings reflect a fund's historical total return performance, excluding sales charges as applicable, relative to peers as of the above date. The ratings are subject to change every month and are based on equal-rated average of percentile ranks for the total return metrics over 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods, if applicable. Lipper rankings are not intended to predict future results, and Lipper does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Expense waivers may have been in effect for some or all of the periods shown. Performance would have been lower if waivers did not apply or if sales charges were included. Lipper rankings may have been lower if waivers did not apply or if sales charges were included.

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Other than Macquarie Bank Limited (MBL), none of the entities noted are authorised deposit-taking institutions for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of MBL. MBL does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these entities, unless noted otherwise.

The Funds are distributed by Delaware Distributors, L.P., an affiliate of Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust (MIMBT), Macquarie Management Holdings, Inc., and Macquarie Group Limited. Macquarie Investment Management (MIM), a member of Macquarie Group, refers to the companies comprising the asset management division of Macquarie Group Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide.

Other than Macquarie Bank Limited (MBL), none of the entities noted are authorised deposit-taking institutions for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of MBL. MBL does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these entities, unless noted otherwise.

Macquarie Investment Management (MIM) is the marketing name for certain companies comprising the asset management division of Macquarie Group. Investment products and advisory services are distributed and offered by and referred through affiliates which include Delaware Distributors, L.P., a registered broker/dealer and member of FINRA; and Macquarie Investment Management Business Trust (MIMBT) and Delaware Capital Management Advisers, Inc., each of which are SEC-registered investment advisors. Investment advisory services are provided by the series of MIMBT. Macquarie Group refers to Macquarie Group Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. Delaware Funds by Macquarie refers to certain investment solutions that MIM distributes, offers, refers or advises.